After a many year hiatus from writing monthly recaps, I’ve decided to bring them back! There is a lot happening in my life these days, so I’d love to be able to share more with readers.

November was a month of big changes for me. Mark and I moved to England, where he is from, and on the way did a “wrong way around the world” trip to Fiji, New Zealand, and Singapore. While I did hunker down quite a bit to manage all the tasks that come with moving, I also was able to sneak in a quick trip to Manchester and a long weekend in London. Here’s what I got into in November 2025.

Destinations visited:

Singapore

London and Manchester, England

Favorite destinations:

Singapore – I really enjoyed my time in Singapore earlier in the month. The city felt like a vibrant multicultural mix, with a striking contrast between its sleek skyscrapers and its historic, character-filled neighborhoods. We were lucky to have sunshine every day, which made exploring even better. It’s definitely the kind of place I could see myself living in – there’s so much to see and do, and it’s a great hub for traveling around Asia.

Highlights:

Revisiting London with a close friend – I lived in London in 2016 and visited again this month with a friend who had lived there at the same time. It was great to revisit some of our old haunts and also share a few new London experiences together. We also timed the trip perfectly – the whole city was full of Christmas spirit.

Christmas markets – Christmas markets are undoubtedly better in Europe than in the United States, and I was so happy to visit a few in Manchester and London this past month. Mulled wine, twinkling lights, and good food made for the perfect festive cheer.

Challenges:

Moving stress – Moving is always stressful and moving to another country just adds another layer to that. I know people have meant well, but being asked numerous times “Are you settled yet?” by friends and family when you aren’t even close to feeling that way is hard. While the move overall has been fine, lots of minor challenges that popped up did add up and made us feel down at times.

Getting sick – As I write this, I am at the (hopefully) tail end of having a cold. I have found this cold really hard to shake and have been struggling with coughing a lot at night. I hope to be fully recovered soon.

Posts:

None! I was too busy with the move to write a whole lot, but will get back to posting more often soon.

Coming up in December 2025:

Most of this month will either be getting ready for or celebrating Christmas! I normally am quite organized with buying gifts in November, but not this year, so that will be a task for this month. We’ll be celebrating Christmas at my brother-in-law’s house the weekend before Christmas and then spending the actual day at our new house with Mark’s parents. Right after Christmas, I’ll be heading to Morocco with my family for a vacation.

What did you do in November? Where is your December taking you?